"It Comes From The Heart"-A Discussion With Dee Dean About American Youth At Risk

"It Comes From The Heart"-A Discussion With Dee Dean About American Youth At Risk

Posted by Alan Busch, Community Contributor

Self -explanatory

Self -explanatory (Posted by Alan Busch, Community Contributor)

Community Contributor Alan Busch

Author's Note: Writing from Skokie, IL, it is my pleasure to introduce you to a rising star in the Skokie Community. You may have seen his workout videos on YouTube or made his acquaintance on another occasion, but if you are a parent of a middle school or high school student who just may have too much time on his/her hands or would benefit from a "big brother" presence in his/her life, make it your business to find time to meet Dee Dean, a 41-year-old self-described "Afro-American, honest, hard-working man" and father of six.

Additionally, Mr. Dean is a personal fitness trainer who's undertaken a mission: to make a positive difference in the lives of local youth.

He grew up in East Rogers Park and Evanston in the 1990(s). Raised by a strong, single mother whose husband (Dee's father) had left years before, Dee's 'been there and done it'-as the expression goes.

"I've been a leader all my life, a role I'll teach my son. I'm my own hero, I've had to be. My father left us when I was very young."

A generation ago, Dee Dean was indistinguishable from the young people he seeks to help. By enabling local youth to avoid the devastating mistakes he made in his own adolescence which led to gang Involvement and some run-ins with the law. Dee's hope is to save lives from being wasted, starting with his own.

"An idle mind is the devil's playground. If I can save one kid, one child, one young person even if only one in a hundred, I've saved a life. And that is significant; I could be happy with that."

'Change' happens in nature and society constantly and continuously every second of the day. Change is a constant, universal presence, but as absolute as this rule seems, there is, at least, one exception: children will always need help growing up. Some will need more, others less. A significant number may not receive any at all.

"I'm looking for investors who share my social vision. It's a tall order, I know, but the future of our community, our country is at risk." This writer would add that investment in our children is the wisest use we can make of our money at this crucial point in our country's history whereas the cost of doing little or nothing will destabilize our communities in ways that we can hardly comprehend now, but happen they will. And there will be no turning back.

Dee's plan is to fill that void. His stock-in-trade is a long-overdue blend of personal fitness and traditional family values; many of the young people whom he seeks to serve have had little or no exposure to the latter. He sincerely believes his future and that of the community are intertwined for the good.

"It comes from the heart" Dee told this writer this past Friday afternoon in an interview held outside the front entrance to his business, Dee's Elite Bootcamp Studio, located at 4658 Church Street in Skokie, IL. Occupying the same rental space in the strip mall as "Mr. B's" did for many years, the neighborhood remains a well-known hangout for Skokie youth.

Citing the unprecedented increase in the number of wayward youth coming from the black and Hispanic communities as proof that his approach is an idea whose time has come, the challenge facing Dee Dean and others concerned about America's future is to find America's 'lost generation'.

After all, it would stand to reason that, within America's 'lost generation' wherein members remain faceless until they reach the news, there are perhaps many who would respond positively to an invitation to rejoin society. Not the gangbangers who've become violent criminals but maybe we can reach the kid whose worst offense is that his pants have fallen down too many times.

My sincere thanks to Dee Dean for his time and passionate interest in the future of Ameican youth. May all of his endeavors go well.

Skokie Parents, make it your business to meet Dee Dean, owner and sole staffer at Dee's Elite Bootcamp Studio, 4658 Church Street, Skokie, IL 60076, (224) 714-9167. Dee has times and programs to accommodate busy schedules. Weight training, weight loss or strict exercise regimens are available at affordable rates and flexible times.

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